FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate an example of a conventional conduction check apparatus.
This conduction check apparatus 61 includes an inspecting part 64 having a plurality of pins 63 for checking conduction of a connector 62, a connector setting part 65 for setting the connector 62 therein, a frame 66 for slidably arranging the inspecting part 64 and for fixedly arranging the setting part 65, and a lever 67, rotatably provided on the frame 66 so as to advance and retreat the inspecting part 64 to the setting part 65.
Further, an inspection pin adjusting plate 69 is disposed in a front-side opening 68 of the inspecting part 64 and is frontwardly urged by upper and lower coils 70. At a non-test time illustrated in FIG. 4A, a tip of each inspection pin 63 is disposed in an associated one of holes 71 of the adjusting plate 69. At a test time illustrated in FIG. 4B, each inspection pin 63 is passed through an associated one of the holes 71 and is contacted with an associated one of female terminals 72 in the connector 62 while the adjusting plate 69 is retreated by being pushed with a rear end surface 62a of the connector 62. The adjusting plate 69 serves also as a protection board that protects the inspection pin 63 from external interference.
Each inspection pin 63 is frontwardly urged by a coil spring 73 in the inspecting part 64. Each inspection pin 63 is connected to an electric wire (not shown) which is connected to an electrical conduction determination apparatus (not shown). Electric wires 74 led out of the connector 62 are similarly connected to the conduction determination apparatus. Thus, the qualities of the connection and electrical conduction between the terminals 72 and the electric wires 74 are checked.
The connector 62 is made of an insulating resin connector housing and each female terminal 62 with an electric wire housed in a terminal housing chamber of the connector housing. Each terminal 72 is locked by a flexible locking lance 75.
Such a conventional conduction check apparatus is described in JP-A-2004-37164 (FIGS. 2 and 3) for example.0
However, in the conventional conduction check apparatus 61, as the rear end 62a of the connector 62 abuts against the adjusting plate 69, an inclination of the adjusting plate 69 is tend to occur depending on the position of the connector 62 in the setting part 65 or the variation of the angle of rear end surface 62a. In this case, there are fears that the inspection pin 63 may interfere with the hole 71 of the adjusting plate 69, that the adjusting plate 69 cannot smoothly retreat, and that the inspection pin 63 may wear. These fears might be compounded by the fact that the compression coil springs 70 are respectively supported between the adjusting plate 69 and a back wall 76 of the inspecting part 64 by protrusions 77 that anteroposteriorly extend. Further, at the time of the shortening (i.e., compactification) of the inspecting part 64, due to variation in the entire length of the connector 62, there is a fear that the protrusions 77 may be in abutment contact with each other, so that a forced compressing force (bending force) may act upon the adjusting plate 69, when the adjusting plate 69 maximally compresses the coil spring 70, that is at the time of maximally retreating the adjusting plate 69 illustrated in FIG. 4B, i.e., at the conduction checking of the connector 62
In view of the aforementioned problems, an object of the invention is to provide an inspection pin protection structure of a conduction check apparatus that can smoothly advance and retreat the protection board without inclining the protection board when the adjusting plate is used as the protection board for the inspection pin. In addition, an object of the invention is to provide an inspection pin protection structure of a conduction check apparatus that performs a conduction inspection without causing a bending force to act upon the protection board at the conduction inspection of a connector.